Tailor-made coach education from Football Equity Team

Keep up-to-date with the latest football activities in the West region on twitter @sfa_west

Supporting aspiring female coaches from diverse communities – a key objective of the Association’s Football Equity Team – is being given through a range of tailor-made coaching courses.

The team, established in April 2012 to increase participation in football from diverse communities, recently hosted a Female Only Early Touches course in Glasgow, in partnership with the Girls’ and Women's Development department, for girls working within the Ethnic Minority communities.

Hala Ousta, Scottish FA equity officer, said: “Despite having available mixed courses running, we must take into account the cultural and religious barriers for most women who wish to participate but cannot due to male presence.

“With this in mind, we ran a female only course taken by a female coach to accommodate all interested in coaching in the womens' game.

“Through upskilling females through such coaching qualifications and giving them opportunities to play and coach, this will produce other role models for younger girls and encourage involvement in the beautiful game. “

Corrie Campbell, girls' and women's development officer for the Scottish FA’s West region, echoed the support for female only courses.

She said: “It was great to see the girls enjoy the course.

"We are happy to support these girls to learn and develop in a comfortable environment and help remove barriers to participation through such opportunities.”

The Football Equity Project is a partnership between the Scottish Football Association and BEMIS and is funded by CashBack for Communities which is a Scottish Government programme which takes funds recovered from the proceeds of crime and invests them into free activities and programmes for young people across Scotland.